Breaking the Cycle
by EmberChance
Summary: Somehow Sakura always knew this was going to happen. So, even though outwardly she was shocked, stunned and hurt. A part of her had already accepted this was the only course of action that was left for them. Her broken team forever trapped in this horrendous cycle. Unless something or someone gave. One-shot


**Hey guys, this is just an idea that has been stuck in my head in relation to the recent Naruto chapters. Hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Breaking the Cycle**

Somehow Sakura always knew this was going to happen. So, even though outwardly she was shocked, stunned and hurt. A part of her had already accepted this was the only course of action that was left for them. Her broken team. Her stoic sensei. Her boys. And her, the weak link. All because her two boys couldn't … no wouldn't be on the same side and get along. One of them would never be allowed to live, not while the other survived. It was a cycle. Both of them would try to kill each other and fail. Only to try to kill each other again. Something or someone had to give.

Team seven's reunion had been brilliant a candle of hope that everything was going to be alright. However brief it may have been it was never going to last, Sakura could see that now. No matter how she hoped or wished desperately for it to go back to the way it was. They had all grown up and they had all changed. Some more than others. But still, that had not helped.

They had beaten Madara, beaten black Zetsu, beaten the mother of chakra itself for crying out aloud. But it would never be enough. They could never settle their differences. Those boys were much too stubborn. And here they were again trying to kill each other.

One, a beacon of hope trying to join the ninja world and its nations together in harmony. And the other, a pillar of darkness attempting to gain control, power and kill the leaders of their world. Her world.

It didn't start like this. Everything was fine. The undead hokages had brought them back to their dimension after defeating Kaguya. Without her, the moon had returned to normal and that creepy tree that had taken all the people, ninjas and citizens alike, hostage had disappeared. Slowly, those held captive were all waking up. And then Team Hebi and Orochimaru had arrived. Somehow the rebirthed hokages had been defeated having used up all their chakra to get the team seven back to their world. Not that team Hebi hadn't suffered losses as well. Jugo had been killed and Karin was knocked out, slumped against a chunk of rock.

Kakashi was grimly fighting Orochimaru keeping his attention occupied. But both seemed to be evenly matched and Sakura wasn't overly worried about her sensei. He could handle himself and he always came through. No, it was her boys she was worried about. They had moved quite some way away from her and from what she could tell; their battle was at a deadlock. Trading and receiving their fair share of blows, but none fatal so far.

She gasped when Naruto nearly got sliced in half with Sasuke's Kusanagi. Her lack of attention rewarded her with nearly getting her head sliced clean off by the giant sword swinging towards her neck, which she avoided by a fraction of a hair.

"Hey! Keep your attention on your own battle, Princess or you'll lose that pretty, pink head of yours." Suigetsu grinned viciously barring his shark-like teeth, clearly enjoying himself.

Sakura remained silent and dodged another of his swings, sending some poison senbon in his direction. Forcing him to jump back to avoid the deadly needles. Sakura had used nearly all the chakra she had gathered over the years. So she knew if she wanted to make it out of this battle alive she had to be quick and smart about it. Unfortunately, water-boy was a little bit faster then she needed him to be, but all she had to do was land one punch and it would be game over for him.

Several kunai flew towards her with explosive tags.

_Shit._

Sakura forced some of her chakra to her legs to allow her to jump away in time to avoid the explosion. But as she landed her vision blurred for a second. Not good. Then Suigetsu was on her again and all she could do was dodge.

"Come on princess stop running away and hold still. I promise I will be nice and kill you quickly." Suigestsu jeered.

Dammit, she was too low on chakra for this. But she wasn't the only one. All of the people that had been held captive by that tree had been drained of their chakra and could do little more than lie there and watch them fight.

There was a movement close to Naruto's and Sasuke's fight that Sakura could see from the corner of her eye, but she didn't have the time to see what it was. Suigetsu was taking a swing at her again. Quickly, she ducked under the arc of the blade and swiped at his legs. But once again he jumped back and out of reach.

Using her chance, Sakura looked over at Sasuke and Naruto to see how they are going. And what she saw almost made her freeze in horror.

Hinata has somehow made it over to their fight and has snuck up on Sasuke. Her legs are unsteady and it is a miracle she is even standing. Steadily, she lifts a kunai and throws it at Sasuke's unsuspecting back. It flies straight and true almost in slow motion. But then, just when it's about to hit its mark, Sasuke side steps it and it goes straight for Naruto, who scrambles to dodge it. For one reason or another, Sasuke doesn't use this opportunity to attack Naruto, instead he uses it launch multiple kunai back at the defenceless Hinata who has sunk to the ground exhausted and unable to move. The kunai will hit her for sure. And kill her.

Naruto's eye widen in horror when he realises Hinata's impending death and makes a mad dash for her. But in doing so his back is turned to Sasuke. Completely unprotected and wide open.

Sasuke is behind him in an instant, his hand sparking with his chidori.

The song of a thousand birds cry out into the unforgiving sky.

There was no Kakashi-sensei to save them now.

Naruto deflects the kunai away from Hinata just as Sasuke's arm thrusts forward through the body in front of him.

The colour of red flies through the air.

The colour of life.

The colour of revenge.

The colour that paints Sasuke's hand guilty.

A bloodcurdlingly scream seems to split open the sky. And brings everything to a standstill. But it is not Naruto who screamed in agony. Because it is not Naruto who was going to die.

No.

It is Sakura.

Sasuke's face for once is not completely blank. It is somewhere between shock and surprise. It's almost as if he can't seem to believe it is Sakura who is in front of him, not Naruto. But it is no genjutsu. It is Sakura, his pink haired ex-teammate whose chest his hand is buried into. She took the chidori meant for Naruto, his rival and enemy. Perhaps there was a flicker of horror in his usually emotionless black eyes. But for once Sakura doesn't care what Sasuke feels.

Somewhere in the background she can hear Naruto's exclamation of her name in pure terror and horror. But she ignores it and focuses in grim determination.

Using her remaining strength, she grasps Sasuke's arm and casts her jutsu.

Her actions seem to burst Sasuke into action and he yanks his hand out of her chest almost frantically. Desperate to get away from her. Yet, he is too late. It has already been cast.

Sakura cries out as Sasuke's hand leaves her wound, the colour of red cloaked in her now soaked black shirt. She only stays conscious by pure willpower and stubbornness alone. The pain is unbearable.

Short, pink locks float in the air as her body tumbles, useless to the ground. The hole in her chest is close to her shoulder and will allow her to live long enough for what she must do.

"SAKURA!", Naruto yells. His strong arms surround her as he catches her limp form.

Hinata's quiet cry of distraught is almost inaudible due to Sakura's ragged and laboured breaths, as Naruto lowers them both to the ground. Her head is cradled in his lap. His hands are trying to plug her blood seeping out of her wound. The colour of red now coating both of her teammates' hands.

One guilty. One innocent.

However, that is not entirely true, since she did jump in front.

_I guess that makes me the guilty one.,_ Sakura thinks fuzzily.

"Why?", Naruto cries, tears are pouring unchecked down his face. "Why Sakura?"

"Because someone had to stop you idiots." Sakura said tiredly in a voice full of pain.

When she had glanced over at Naruto and Sasuke earlier and seen Hinata sneaking up, she could see what was going to happen. To her it was blindingly obvious and because of that, it had sealed her fate. Her body had acted without her so much as processing a single thought. Spinning towards Suigetsu, she had grabbed the sword and held it still with her chakra, catching him off guard. His stunned disbelief at her actions clearly printed on his face. She used that moment and sucker punched him in the face. Suigetsu was dead even before he even hits the rock behind him.

With the last of her chakra reserves, she had forced herself to run faster than she ever had in her life. Yet, it seemed to take eternity for her to get to her two team mates and place herself between them without even consciously thinking about it. In a way, it was almost like that fateful day on top of the hospital; except there was no Kakashi to save them and Naruto had his back turned to Sasuke's attack, trying to save Hinata. The future was left to her, the weak link and burden of team seven.

_What a fitting ending_., Sakura thinks ironically.

But it wasn't over. Not yet.

The jutsu Sakura had placed on Sasuke finally activated and Sasuke keeled over a metre away from her. Letting loose a small cry of pain as he fell.

"Sasuke?" Naruto sounded worried and confused. Hinata has crawled over to Naruto's side and sits quietly beside them. She began ripping pieces of cloth to hold to Sakura's wound, but even she freezes at the red, glowing symbols that are now swirling around Sasuke's arm. The very same ones that are steadily spinning around Sakura's.

"Noooo! Sasuke-kun.", Karin appears by his side in an instant, apparently having woken up from her unconscious state. Her hands flutter over him trying to work out what's wrong. But she finds nothing. Of course she finds nothing. He isn't the one hurt, physically at least.

"Sakura what did you do?" Sasuke groans, perceptive as ever.

Naruto is now looking at her in shock.

Sakura smiles grimly.

"Just a special jutsu I made especially for you." Her voice rasps out. "I'm not as strong as you Sasuke-kun. I know that. So, I just had to be smarter. The justu I used links our hearts together, or really yours to mine. If my heartbeat stops, then so does yours. But the only difference is if yours stops then mine doesn't. Not that that really matters anymore. I'm dead anyway."

Sakura roughly coughs up blood and it drips down her chin.

"No." Naruto shakes his head. He is in denial. He can't believe Sakura is capable of this. He doesn't want to lose his two teammates, either of them. "Sakura, no. You can heal yourself.'

"Can't", she smiles bitterly, "Used all my chakra." She is so weak now she can barely move her hand.

"Then release him from the jutsu, you bitch." Karin yells angry and desperate at the same time. But Karin knows she can't kill her, because if she does her precious Sasuke-kun dies too. She can't heal the pink haired bitch either, since she has no chakra. This is her only hope. "You don't want Sasuke-kun to die, do you?"

"That is entirely up to him." Sakura coughs again and more of her blood runs. And she begins to feel the chill of death. "But he doesn't have long to decide."

"What?" Everyone is stunned.

Sakura weakly turns her head and stares Sasuke directly in his eyes that are full of something she can't describe. Or rather she doesn't want to. Not at the end anyway, when there is no hope. She lays out her conditions, "All he has to do is swear that he will not try to kill Naruto, Kakashi or anyone else in Konoha. Or our allies. He has to swear he will not seek revenge anymore. He will not kill the hokages. And he will try to live his life and be happy."

Now they are shocked and she is sure if she weren't dying a few jaws would have dropped.

Finally, Karin replies sarcastically, flipping her hair, "Ppht. That's easy. Sasuke, swear away."

Her vision blurs. When it clears both Sasuke and Naruto's face are leaning over her. Sakura wonders how Sasuke is sitting up, since all she can feel now is cold. He should be feeling it too. She gets her answer when he sways unsteadily.

"There's more than that, isn't there Sakura?" Sasuke is smart.

"Yes-s, I'll know if … you're lying … The link ensures it." She manages haltingly. It's a bluff, but that's all she has. She has to make sure everything is alright before she goes. And if she has to take Sasuke with her to ensure that, so be it. Sakura hopes her green eyes are clouded enough that he can't tell she is lying. They always gave her away in the end.

She coughs up blood again and her body seizes into violent jerks. Pain is all she feels. And cold, ice cold.

_Not long now._

She has given Sasuke his choice and that is all she can do. Now she has to focus on her other important people before her time is up. She turns to the best friend she could ever ask for, but not always deserved sometimes. Valiantly, she raises her bloody hand to Naruto's cheek.

"Naruto, th-thankyou for bein-g the best brother I ever h-had. You kept your promise. You brought Sasuke back. Thankyou."

"No Sakura! NO!" He shakes his head frantically, when he realises she is saying goodbye. "You can't."

"Te-ll Kakashi he was alright for a pervy sensei and Sai that I'll p-punch him if he calls me Ugly when I see him next."

"No." He looks so helpless. He knows he can't save her. Not this time. "Sakura stop it."

But Sakura forges on.

"Hinata take care of Naruto for me. Tell Ino-pig she's the best friend I ever … ever h-h-ad. Tell Tsunade that she was the best men-tor, but she needs to w-ork on her drinking hab-bits. G-ive everyone my love and tell them I'm s-orry and …" Her breath rattles out of her, but she is determined to finish, "I'll see them on the flip side. … I l-l-… love …you all." She looks at Naruto and tries to force everything she feels into her clouded eyes.

Hinata nods tearfully. "I will." It is a firm promise.

And that is all Sakura needs to be at peace. Resigned to her fate. Her hand falls limply to her chest. Completely useless. Now all she needs is … is ….

"Sasuke-k-kun … choose …. h-ave … br-break the cycle." Her eyes are closing. She can't feel anything anymore.

There is just darkness.

"Sakura!" She is being shaken roughly.

Her vision is blurred and for a moment she can't see anything. Something wet drops onto her face and then there are more. _Rain,_ Sakura thinks. But then it focuses and Sasuke is leaning his forehead on hers. _No not rain_, Sakura is wrong.

_His eyes are so beautiful._, she thinks. Not because they are black and bottomless and seem to hold her captive as they always have. No. They are beautiful because they are unguarded and Sasuke's emotionless face is now full of feelings. Clear as day. He can't speak. Like her, he is too weak for that anymore. But what Sakura sees is enough.

She releases the jutsu.

The foreboding red symbols disappear from their arms. Sasuke steadily regains colour and strength, but his tears are still falling. He doesn't seem to notice them.

With her dying breath she says the words that have always haunted her. The ones he said to her when he left and are now going to haunt him.

Her green eyes are dull and unseeing. She can't see or hear anymore. "Sasuke.", she breaths so only he can hear her. "Thankyou."

Then her eyes are closed and a peaceful smile lingers on her face.

_I love you Sasuke-kun._, is Haruno Sakura's final thought.

And then she dead.

Oblivious to the heartache around her. Blind to the many tears that fall. And deaf to the despairing wails of her name.

Coming from not one, but both of her boys.

Naruto and Sasuke.

The cycle has been broken.

...

**Please review.**


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